Let us fantasize for a minute here: we're in the Yucatan, having drinks on chaise lounges by the infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. In this fantasy, I have a hot JLo bikini bod. Hell yah! Reality: the "Gulf of Mexico" is actually a kiddie pool I...
My signature dish for a BBQ has always been Yaki Onigiri (grilled rice balls). It's usually something no one else is bringing, and everyone loves them, from the out of towner in-laws to the cousin's anti-social tween. My mom taught me how to make onigiri. I...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 200 members throughout California. Join today! I’m back! I take over Sake Gumi for Yoko once in a while and am resurrecting mytheme from 2018, Holy Honjozo!. I love honjozos and feel it is...
I've been watching Queer Eye, season 5, and have been appreciating all of the inspirational quotes that accent the show. Many seem to center around being in the present, which I'm all for. For example: "You can't start the next chapter if you keep rereading the last one." - Unknown...
Ah, the summertime - here we are, can you believe it? There's something about the heat that makes me crave a gooey okonomiyaki, filled with cabbage and pork belly, oozing with Kewpie mayo and sauce. Crack open a cold beer or get a glass of shochu on...
We had originally wanted to have an event and make umeshu with everyone together at the bar, but thought the next best thing would be to show you how to make it on video! So...
Shochu Gumi is our quarterly shochu subscription service with members throughout the US. Join today! Barley is a grain used to make beer, whisky, and other spirits, so it is no surprise that it is one of Japan’s most popular shochu categories. And who could resist this light,...
This month for Sake Gumi, I'm featuring four women in the sake world. As usual, you can find the notes to the club sakes here. In the process of writing this month's notes, I interviewed four of the women who either own the brewery, are...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with over 200 members throughout the US. Join today! In a time when nothing seems to be moving forward and we can’t see into the future, I’m pleased to feature four breweries with innovative women...
Many of you know that my father Kuni is a chef. Classically trained in Tokyo, he worked in several Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles and the Bay Area before opening his own, Sushi Kuni, in 1994. There, my father made the sushi and my mom Hideko...
Lately, amazake (sweet non-alcoholic sake) has been on our minds. It all started on March 1, when we celebrated Girl's Day at Umami Mart and Den Sake was kind enough to make us a batch of amazake for the second year in a...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 200 members throughout California. Join today! This month, I wanted to explore sakes made with rice that hasn't been super polished. These are sakes that go against the grain (get it?), that are moving away...
If you are stuck in a home with no rice cooker, or are caring for a loved one who doesn't have one, I hope this how-to will help you rice-lovers to cope with your rice-related anxieties. I learned how to make rice on...
A few years ago, Yoko treated me to a tea ceremony course in Tokyo for my birthday. It was such a special, memorable experience! Tucked back into the bustling city streets of western Tokyo, we walked to the Akasaka Hikawa Shrine, where they take in about two dozen people, twice...
What a crazy roller coaster ride these last few weeks have been. And it ain't over yet, folks, so strap in. Most of us now, across the globe, are advised to stay put. And we don't know what to do with ourselves. Our daily routines have gone...